Effectiveness of a Systematic Epidemic Prevention Program on the Coping Response of Nursing Staff Caring for High-Risk COVID-19 Patients.

AIMS: To explore the effectiveness of a systematic epidemic prevention programme on the coping response of nursing staff caring for high-risk COVID-19 patients.

DESIGN

A one-group pre-post-test pre-experimental design was used.

METHODS

Through purposive sampling, a total of 84 nursing staff were recruited from a teaching hospital who had experiences in caring for high-risk COVID-19 patients. The participants underwent a systematic epidemic prevention programme. Before the intervention and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the intervention at four time points, the coping response of the nursing staff was measured through three scales-the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE). The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics including generalised estimating equations, Pearson's correlation coefficient, independent samples t-test, and analysis of variance.

RESULTS

The systematic epidemic prevention programme significantly improved nursing staff's coping responses. IES-R scores decreased over time but did not reach statistical significance. GHQ scores showed a significant time effect, with reductions observed at 1 and 3 months post-intervention, and the greatest improvement at 3 months. Emotional coping significantly increased at 3 months post-intervention. Overall, the findings demonstrate a sustained improvement in coping responses across time points following the intervention.

REPORTING METHOD: The study followed the TREND and TIDieR checklists.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: None.